Chris Connolly holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Trombone Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with John Marcellus and Raymond Premru, and a Master’s Degree in jazz composition and arranging from William Paterson University, where he studied with Jim McNeely, Pete McGuinness and Cecil Bridgewater

Chris has performed with the Long Bay Symphony (Myrtle Beach, SC), the Penfield Symphony (Penfield, NY), acts such as Vic Damone, Lou Rawls, Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under the direction of Buddy Morrow. He has an independently released jazz CD entitled Since Last We Met.

Chris is also active as an arranger; he has written arrangements for such diverse artists as jazz guitarist and former NY Yankee Bernie Williams, sax-ophonist Steve Wilson, pianist Mulgrew Miller, Steve Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers, Bill Pinkney of the Original Drifters, the Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and many others.